Contracts for 28 projects worth 926.6m afs signed

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development on Tuesday said at least 11,000 uplift projects had been completed across 34 provinces during the first six months of the current fiscal year.

Naseer Ahmad Durani, speaking on the occasion of signing contracts for 28 development projects in 16 provinces here, said the projects included construction of a 100km road, 173 metres bridge and culverts, protection and maintenance of 205km roads, construction of surrounding walls for townships of Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan and provision of potable water to townships.

He said the 28 projects’ total cost was 926.6 million afs to be provided from MRRD’s development budget. The projects are being implemented in Samangan, Baghlan, Takhar, Laghman, Kandahar, Kabul, Balkh, Ghor, Bamyan, Faryab, Jawzjan, Kapisa, Parwan, Panjshir, Farah and Paktia provinces.

The minister said contracts for these projects had been signed with construction companies who would complete them in various stages taking two to three years.

“No compromise is acceptable on quality of the projects; we just want better execution of the projects and for the purpose we have strengthened the ministry’s monitoring teams.”

Meanwhile, a public representative from Baghlan in Wolesi Jirga, Obaidullah Ramin, during the signing ceremony, said the projects’ implementation would positively impact people’s lives in provinces they were being executed.

Maulvi Aminuddin, Saleh Ejaz Construction Company head, who was granted the contract for a 28km road in Baghlan, said his company would make every effort to implement the project efficiently and finish it within the stipulated time.

According to Minister Durani, since the start of the current financial year, nearly 11,000 projects, including new projects, had been executed at a total cost of $292. 7 million in spheres of transport, irrigation, provision of potable water, education and training, power and local development across the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

Currently work on another 2043 projects nationwide costing up to $145 million was underway, he added, claiming 62 percent of his ministry’s $258.8 million had been spent so far.